The Vow Across Time and Space
by imholynight
Summary: The war against Tartaros left her scarred. The disbandment of the guild left her an orphan a second time. Now, Lucy must find her way again in a bleak world without Fairy Tail, and she must face an unfamiliar enemy with, hellbent on making her suffer. A world parallel to the Solemn Vow series. LaLu. LaxLu. Laxus X Lucy.
1. Chapter 1

_"I wish i could have five lives._  
 _Then i could have been born in five different towns,_  
 _and eaten five lifetime's worth of food,_  
 _and had five different careers,_  
 _and...fallen in love with the same person, five times"_

 _-Tite Kubo_

* * *

September 3, X791

The cold rush of air blew her skirt and tipped her brim hat, and Lucy grimaced as she finally handed her ticket to the waiting hands of the man inside the booth. He greeted her a _have a nice trip_ and she could only feel the whimper making its way from her throat to her mouth. She gulped it back and offered the kind man a small smile and a nod before making her way to the gathering crowds of Magnolia Station.

 _There's no going back now,_ Lucy told herself, squaring her shoulders and pulling her pink suitcase towards the open doors of the train. She stared at the small set of stairs and for a moment, she hesitated to step inside. _If I do this, this means that I can never return anymore,_ she realized and it clawed at her. She could go back, go back and wait until everyone realize that they were all meant to be together forever, as a guild, as a family, in their own small home. Home is where she can laugh. Home is where Natsu and Happy pull pranks at her. She looked back at the entrance booth of the station, with the briefest hope that maybe Natsu and Happy were there to stop her from going, as everything was just a prank.

None. They were not there. Honestly, she'd rather have that this was the ultimate prank and she the ultimate idiot for falling for such obvious and stupid tactics. She'd rather be the laughingstock of the guild a million times than have the guild completely disband.

"Excuse me," announced an abrupt voice from her left. Lucy looked at the annoyed face of a woman, waiting in line. "Are you going to enter or not?" the annoyed woman fumed.

Lucy did not feel the energy to have a heated argument right now, so she upped and carried her bags inside, without a second glance at the complainant. Inside, the people were bustling and busying themselves putting their luggage in the upper compartment above the seat. She glanced at the crumpled piece of parchment for her booth and seat number. Number 143. Avoiding the bodies of the people in the cramped aisle, Lucy quickly made her way before the annoyed woman from before could catch up with her and start a new tirade.

140…

141…

142…

143\. An empty booth. She didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Good thing is: she's alone with her thoughts. Bad thing is: she's alone again. She decided that it's a good thing to be alone.

 _Best to practice the solitude while I'm at it..._

The engine roared to life and she heard the familiar _hoot_ of the smokestack as it billows the smoke from the burning of the fuel.

 _That sounds brings so much memories_. Memory of the time she first went on a mission with Natsu, Happy, Gray and Erza to chase after Erigor; or that time when she was sent with them as part of the Allied Forces against Oracion Seis; or those days where even if they destroy something and did not earn the reward, they would go home laughing and smiling. The train moved now, and Lucy saw the familiar places their team has frequented over the years:

 _The Camellia Café_ she visited with Erza for the famed Triple Chocolate Double Vanilla Layer Cake that cannot be bought by jewels, but must be won for finishing fifty other concoctions.

The glistening, crystal roof of the _Winter Rose Gallery_ was also there. She remembered that time Gray invited her to see his ice sculptures. Oh, he was working part time to earn more money to pay for his rent, and she was the only guest he invited because Natsu would have melted his creations just to spite him, and Erza would just test the sharpness of her blade on the ice.

Lucy's eyes caught the sight of the _Burning BBQ_ , the place where Natsu and Happy invited her and ordered 26 different kinds of barbeque, only to 'conveniently' _forgot their wallets at home_ and have her 'conveniently' pay for almost 75,000 jewels worth of food. She swears that the lot cost more than her monthly rent.

A sob broke its way from her lips and Lucy dabbed at the tears gathering at the edge of her eyes. There is no point in crying now. She'd already wasted a whole week, grieving and crying herself to sleep. In the past week alone, she'd hauled herself at the huge crater that was her former guild and watch helplessly as the members have dwindled and left on their own. Erza…Gray…Wendy…they all left as soon as Natsu had gone missing. It was like watching a scene play in bleary eyes, and just like a black and white silent film, everything lost its color and seemed much, much quieter. Everything just went blank, silent and stale.

A brown maple leaf flew and stuck at her window. Autumn…Fall…Somehow, Lucy saw some sick and twisted poetic allusion in the falling of leaves. _The leaves of the trees are just like us in the autumn, one by one, we fell from the tree called the guild of the fairy._

 _We're not that far yet. You may still go back,_ a tiny hopeful voice persisted inside her head, but she ignored it. She told the landlady that she will never come back again. Even if she were to return now, there's no place for her.

Good bye, Magnolia.

"Oi!" boomed a voice beside her, giving her a fright. She glanced at a tall figure from waist up and immediately registered who he was. Laxus. He was clad in his usual collared long sleeve shirt, blanketed by his coat and with bandages running along his arm. His bag slung over his right shoulder, his posture lax and his bored eyes stared right at her. Despite the overall laidback approach, his figure alone is imposing.

Lucy nodded, asking herself why her chest is suddenly pounding, posture rigid, and tongue receding. She offered a smile so as not to appear rude.

"May I?" he gestured to the empty seat in front of her. Lucy replied a meek _yes_ as she observed how his arms tensed as he moved his arms to and fro. Immediately, he started towards the seat, and Lucy adjusted her knees in order for her not to collide with his legs and cause him further harm. Finally, he was able to sit in his place, luggage left in the aisle.

Inching towards the edge, Lucy took the handle and carefully brought the black suitcase towards the man. "Here."

"Uh, thanks," he mumbled as he took the handle from her. However, as he did so, his fingers brushed against the skin of Lucy's retreating fingers. The contact, though brief and minute, sent a familiar current in her skin. She looked at him but his head had already turned to the window.

That had been the end of their conversation. He kept silent, only staring at the blurring images outside the glass, his chin resting in his palms and his elbow resting at the arm rest of the seat. She supposed that the man intended to have an undisturbed journey, and that the silence for the past eleven minutes or so, was the comfortable silence. However, as the minutes continued to drag on, she felt that the man has something to say; to ask, the least. Lucy could tell because for the past few days, though she was depressed, at the very least she had been comfortable in the silence. Now, the silence is brought by something else.

Awkwardness.

Lucy felt that she could initiate at least a small talk for various reasons. One, she was considered to be the more perky between the two of them and Laxus may expect her to be more open and start a conversation. Two, Laxus may be too proud to even start a talk with someone he thinks beneath him. Those thoughts alone ticked something inside her. Hasn't both those reasoning works against her?

She'll show him.

 _But what do you say to a guy you…just…met?_ Lucy wondered. Well, it's not quite so much that they're completely strangers who met for the first time – that'd be preposterous since they have been guild mates for years – but this may be the first time that she ever had the chance of having a one on one conversation with the S-Class Mage.

"The weather's good," Lucy started, sounding more like she was asking a question rather than simply stating a fact.

"Yeah…" Laxus dragged on.

Rebuffed again from the polite and decent conversation she was offering, it suddenly dawned into her that they just might not be 'complete and total strangers, meeting for the very first time'. After all, they did have some sort of semblance to an interaction before; most of which from his part. Remember that one time he catcalled her 'big-bobbed newbie' or that time that he will only offer his help provided that she was to be his 'woman'? And there's also that one time he proudly announced that she was the 'princess' that was the cause of Phantom Lord's attack. And that one time he made use of her shoulders when she was turned into a statue – courtesy of Evergreen – as some sort of support to lean on.

Wasn't he just one charming, bloody scoundrel?

Well, she supposed she'd give him the benefit of the doubt and start counting his better points. According to Mira, Laxus is generally a good guy; a little on the perverted side, but, nonetheless, a fairly decent chap. However, a good eighty-nine percent of the guild would answer that despite appearing as silent, Laxus was quite impulsive. He was quick to resort to violence and is prone to attack rather than reason with others. On the plus side though, his impulsiveness is a testament of how he is passionate about the things that he values.

The Fairy Tail fighting festival was actually caused when he heard that people have begun to badmouth the name of their guild, so he made it a mission to only accept mages of high caliber and dispose of the weak. Lucy sighed. She is on the weak side. There is no contesting that. Laxus, winning or losing does not negate the situation right now. He might've lost and saw the proverbial light, but what it only managed was to prolong the inevitable. Speaking of which, they would have all lost – probably their lives – if Fairy Law does not function based on whom the caster's heart regards as true enemy.

Then that means Laxus considers them all as precious comrades?

Even her?

Certainly, that's big news! Not only was she on the weaker side, but she was only just a new member back then. Laxus does not have the time to actually know her at that point, so it only stands to reason that maybe, perhaps a bit, Fairy Law would have affected her.

Maybe she was dwelling a bit too hard on this matter. This is the same guy that actually avenged her defeat from the foul play caused by Raven Tail. Laxus actually blasted Flare with a high voltage Dragon's Roar for her; and although she knew that Flare was just a lost soul in the wrong guild, she cannot help but feel flattered that someone regarded in a highest pedestal would actually make an effort to avenge in her name.

 _"_ _He liiikes you,"_ Mira teased when she was visiting her in the infirmary. Despite the fact that Lucy knew that she stood no chance of ever being seen as a woman by Laxus, she cannot hide that fact that the little teasing brought a smile on her lips and a blush on her cheeks, and she did not bother to hide it nor deny it then. To be considered worthy of avenging by one of the most eligible bachelor in Fiore is an astounding feat in itself.

"Lucy?"

Lucy momentarily stilled, caught off-guard by his voice. He gave her a fright, though the reason was not near being surprised; rather, his voice reminded her of someone she knew years ago…someone masked, clad in black…a man from her past.

"How is your injury?" Lucy asked, steering away from the thought of her partner in that masquerade.

"Good," lowered the head of the man in front of her. Lucy sensed that subject was too sore for him and immediately thought of apologizing, but before she could, he spoke again. "I'm sorry," said Laxus, this time staring deeply into her eyes.

Lucy, once again found herself still, with shivers running down her spine, and questioning why was she suddenly feeling a deep sense of nostalgia. She felt her eyes tearing up and she sucked her breath to prevent them from falling. Maybe it was the way his eyes looked sincere that she missed home – any home she can thing of: in the mansion with her parents or in the guild with her friends.

"Why?" her voice barely a whisper and broken. Confused at her mouth's response and at the sudden apology she's receiving, she wondered what on Earthland is this man apologizing for. Is it his grandfather's disbandment of the guild? That's hardly a reason for him to go to such extent.

"For everything," he said with, again looking straight into her eyes.

Lucy looked back at him with the same intensity and asked, "Laxus-san, this might seem strange, but I fail to see the reason why you would apologize to me."

"The face you're making seems to say that you remember uh…unpleasant events between us," he confessed, scratching his cheek with his finger.

 _Ah, that_. Lucy pursed her lips in embarrassment. Heat crept from her neck to her face. _Am I blushing at being caught?_ "I…uh…sorry about that," she scratched the back of her head and averted her gaze from him. "Sorry," she repeated, this time in a lower tone.

"It's okay…" Laxus trailed off, looking back at the scenery outside. He cleared his throat and asked, "So where are you off to?"

"I…" Lucy quickly started in surprise but then found herself thinking, where could she go now? She lowered her eyes in embarrassment because she found nothing. She didn't think that far ahead. She just left without any plan. And she won't gain anything by lying to him. "I…ah…I don't know. You're off to train, right?" She quickly asked, changing the topic.

"It's the muscles, isn't it? It's too obvious just by looking at me," he barked good-naturedly but it lacks his usual bite.

Lucy smiled a bit. "Not really."

"Huh? Then what?" he raised his eyebrows at her.

"More like the attitude," she replied, easing herself into this casual conversation. Maybe, Laxus also hates feeling awkward. "Just like Natsu…" She trailed off and by the time she recognized whose name she just spoke, she sighed and quickly pursed her lips.

"What's this? Blondie loves Pinkie?" Lucy snapped her eyes towards him. She was about to retort a smart reply but she found him smirking. No, he was smiling at her, eyes gentle. He was only teasing her good-naturedly.

She smiled, a bit wider than the previous. "Thank you."

"For what?" he challenged. This time, he was smirking.

"For frying Flare, even though you didn't have to do that," Lucy offered, her tone teasing. She looked at him to find his eyes wide in recognition, mouth agape and cheeks flushed.

"What the!" He raised his voice, though not in that you're-dead way, but more of like you-were-not-supposed-to-know-that way. "Who told you?" he demanded.

"That's something for me to know and for you to find out," she quipped, and she finally found herself smiling like the time when everything is bliss. Maybe, somehow, with this bit of getting back to their usual selves, they can gain a little bit of normalcy, a normalcy that was their guild.

Minutes have passed since Blondie's show of coyness, and from then on, conversation faded. They've ran out of topics to talk about. Good for him since it's hard to look fine and talk at the same damn time. Damn the driver to hell! He got one job and he doesn't do very much damn well.

 _Gulp_. He felt the bile rising from his throat. Damn, this motion crap to everlasting hell. And Little-Miss-Blondie is right in front of him, and damn it to hell if he so much puke his breakfast on the floor. He put his elbows on his thigh and put his palm on his face. This'll do fine. He'll sleep the drive away.

"You're sick, aren't you?" She dared speaking, like slapping him across his face.

"Huh?" He removed his hands from his face and feigned indifference. _Damn, now I resort to this kind of foolishness_. He paused for a moment and looked at her, sitting cross-legged and cross-armed in front of him. She was watching him with creased eyebrows.

"I said, it's the motion sickness," she pointed out, lips curving into a small smile. Well, at least she doesn't have the nerve to snort at him or she'll know her place. Briefly, he questioned himself on how this girl knew this one handicap. Then, it him. Ah, right, this girl hangs out with Dragon Slayers more than anyone in the guild. "It was Natsu," she answered for him, her somber eyes looking back at the window.

Just what the hell's with her? If her mood's just going to drop whenever she speaks that brat's name, she might as well stop it. Is she that of a masochist? So much for being pretty…And did she just lump him together with that ash brain?

"And does boyfriend sleep on your lap every time his knees go weak?" He chimed, inwardly grinning when she flinched. Apparently, he stuck not just a cord, but a wound. _If you have nothing better to say, you might as well, shut it_.

"No," she answered in a straight, non-committal tone, like she's done with this conversation and he's not worth of her time. Something inside him ticked.

"Then you wouldn't mind when I sleep on your lap," he offered suggestively, making sure that his tone carries a thick amount of innuendo.

"Then you admit you're weakness?" She countered, her tone laced with venom, and eyes narrowed in retaliation.

He grunted. She's a smartass; he'd give her that but there's no way he'll lose this verbal war. She already upped him when she didn't told him who told her about what he did to Flare (though that was probably that she-devil) so, this time, he'll destroy her.

"No," he cooed, leaning towards her and bringing his face on the side of her head. "Become my woman," he whispered, rather seductively in her ear. She stiffened.

He heard her sigh and he once again sat back on his chair. That should to teach her a lesson. She kept quiet and stared at him for a long minute. Maybe she's admitting her defeat. What a spineless girl.

 _Unlike Bunny Girl or that Princess,_ commented another voice inside his head. Now, where did that thought came from? That was like eight, nine years ago.

"Laxus-san, I hope you realize that I'm a proper lady and does not concern myself to such frivolous matters," she replied, eying him with a determined stare. He felt his hairs stood on end.

"W-What did you just say?" He was caught off-guard, not by her complete insolence, but by the hint of a completely different tone she just used. He'd heard her squeaked, whined and moaned before but those were all far cry to the tone she used just now. And it wasn't a tone she used within the guild, but it was a tone he was all too familiar with.

"I said, no," she bit back, like saying 'duh!'

"You sure do know a lot of strange words," he challenged, his lips curving into an amused smirk. It has been such a long time since he found someone capable of talking straight to his face. Not since he met that pompous princess. Well, he'll put this 'proper lady' into her 'proper place'.

"Well, there's this thing called thesaurus," she regained her smirk and he found himself unable to reply. Never mind that he can't come up with a comeback, never mind the fact that me might look like a gaping fish. What matters now was the slim chance that he finally found her...

 _No_ , he countered. There's no way. That princess can't be young right now as he was trapped within the stasis magic of The First. Come to think of it, he can't remember that brat's name, only the surname Heartfilia.

"Tch, whatever," he shrugged. Lucy's not a princess and that's that. There's no reason for him to lose his cool just because of a 'slim' chance. Maybe she just picked those words from Levy. That seems logical; more logical than her being a runaway princess. After all, she doesn't seem like the 'proper lady' she claimed herself to be. If one might observe her, she has this weird fetish in wearing weird, body-hugging and boob-flashing clothing and a shorter version of a mini skirt. Not that he complains, definitely not.

"Okay, Blondie. What's your surname?" It definitely sounds like that of the heiress.

She flinched as she quickly averted her eyes off of him, her face sweating. She kept silent for a second, looking as if she's deliberating something inside that blonde head of hers "Fi…Filia," she answered, suddenly squirming in place.

"Oh, I see. Okay," he nodded. She's probably an orphan. Fairy Tail was like that, an orphanage. His Gramps just has a knack of adopting street kids and claiming them as his own children.

 _What's with him and the sudden curiosity?_ Lucy thought, narrowing her eyes at him. Normally, he'd be all aloof and silent. The Laxus she knew was a towering hunk of intimidation. Wait, she backtracked. Did she just call him a hunk? Ooohhh…if Mrs. Spetto ever heard her say that, she'd be reprimanded for being a 'Slapper'.

In any case, the 'him' right now was back to his usual gait, eyes closed, arms crossed, a scowl in his face, and headphones in place. He's perhaps concentrating on keeping his motion sickness at bay.

 _Maybe he's investigating my background,_ crossed her mind. How dare him! She knew she should have kicked him in the face. She should be angry that he's prying on her privacy but, he's Laxus. The Laxus. That's already a reason enough for her to back down. True, she'd had a verbal spar with him just a short while ago but she was pissed beyond reason. Up until this day, she'd still cower at his presence.

She inched further away from him, burying her back on the cushion of the seat. That won't do. She's still cornered, so she moved towards the edge near the hallways. This way she can escape.

No, she must not be hasty. She first has to know why he's suddenly interested in her. Why was he asking for her surname? Perhaps he's out to get her. If he so much as to reveal her surname to the public, she will not get any job. After all, who would want to hire an heiress? Granted, there were times that her full name was announced several times like that one time during her fight against Flare but there was no one really paying attention or actively pursuing her.

 _Wait…if she cannot get a job, she'd be forced to return to the Konzern…but the Konzern is now a property of…_ Lucy's eyes bulged as she clamped her hand against her mouth to stop herself from gasping. Suddenly it dawned upon her. _The Junelle Corporation!_ After all, what's the likelihood of Laxus and her sharing a booth, much less a train? Laxus is not just off to train his Magic. He's also off on a quest. She is his quest!

 _No, Lucy. You must not make a single sound_ , she chastised herself, putting her luggage in the hallways for her immediate escape. The train suddenly came to a halt. This might not be her original destination but bugger, she does not even have one! What's more important now was for her to escape him.

Quickly and as silently as she can, she stood up and walked towards the exit.

Maybe, this will really be a one solitary journey.

Lucy stared at the leaving train as it passed the archway towards its next destination. She stared agape down at her hands. They were trembling. Her entire body shook. Blood is ringing in her ears. What had she just done? She clamped her mouth with her hands as she stood rooted at her spot. She took quick breaths, now holding her hands tightly against her chest. She only confirmed Laxus' suspicions of her. Now, he will do everything in his power to uncover her hidden secret, that she is the runaway Heartfilia, betrothed to the only heir of Junelle Corporation. Her heart stopped at this realization.

There's a bounty upon her head, and an S-Class Mage is the hunter.

Although her father has managed to pay majority of their family's debt to buy back the Konzern, it is still undeniable that the remaining balance amounting to millions of jewels is still left unpaid with his death. Lucy blanched. Now that her father is gone, no one else would stop the Duke Sawarr from having her fulfill the former arrangement between their families—a marriage, a union, and the siring of an heir.

 _Then, how does Laxus fit into all of these?_ Of course, with the disbandment of Fairy Tail, everyone must immediately fend for themselves. It was just that she is the nearest and easiest job. She heard the loud thumping of her chest, and the blood ringing in her ears again. Her shoulders slumped as her hands fell to her side, finding its way to the metal handle of her suitcase. She gripped it tightly and bolted to a run with her breath hitched.

Her heels clacked and dug at the stone walkway, her eyes seeing only blurs of color. Is she crying? Perhaps. She didn't know.

Did people stop and stare at her blatant display of breakdown? She decided that she didn't care. What she has to do now was to get away from this place. Anywhere is fine. Anywhere away from this place is fine with her. She has to put as much distance away from him. Knowing Laxus, he probably figured that she left and was already making his merry way towards her. Her foot suddenly made an abrupt stop and she found herself flung into the air and skidded across the hard concrete ground.

She quickly sat up and only then did she regain her senses. People were watching her from a curious distance but put enough space between her. She heard her own sobs and she felt the wet sensation dripping down her cheeks.

She was crying.

She stood up and walked towards the strewn-away luggage near the bush. People parted, murmuring amongst themselves. She blocked them all out and gingerly lifted the handle. Her elbows cried in pain but she ignored it. Her left leg limped but she kept walking slowly. She sniffled and further bowed down her head, letting her messed hair block her face.

Anywhere away from this place was good enough for her.

 _"_ _Happy and I will go on a journey while training. And we'll be back in a year or so. So take care of everybody , alright. See ya', Lucy._

 _-Natsu and Happy."_

She hiccupped and wiped the ugly tears from her eyes with the back of her left arm. She sniffled. God, how awful must her face look right now. How can they do that? How can the leave her? It'd be lonely without them, she knew that, but what she's feeling right now was downright painful. Not only did her supposedly loyal _nakamas_ left her, they'd done it with only a letter.

She stopped at the entrance of a park. Finding it empty and free of people, she limped towards a nearby bench. She sat and the pain from her legs shot upwards in her hips. Her elbow screeched and hissed in pain. There was an abrasion on her skin from when she crashed against the street. She looked at the ground and saw the falling and browning leaves. The wind blew cold and she found herself looking at the sky, clutching herself in a bruised embrace.

'Was I really _nakama_ , Natsu? She wondered to herself. "Aren't you the one who spouted and bragged the importance of family and friends…" she whispered to no one, still staring at the now orange sky. "AREN'T YOU THE ONE WHO SAID THAT NO ONE SHOULD BE LEFT BEHIND!" she shouted in the roaring wind.

 _How could you do this, Natsu?_

 _What's the sense of your words if you're not going to follow through them?_

 _Your words are empty_.

 _You're a hypocrite, Natsu!_

 _"_ _I will disband Fairy Tail. Go. Go where your beliefs and legs will take you. That's all there is,"_ Master's final words rang in her. She cringed at the mental image: a wrecked guild, hollers and shouts of complaints from everyone and the one slicing statement that was the final judgment.

 _"_ _FAIRY TAIL WILL DISBAND THIS VERY INSTANT! AND DON'T LET ME HEAR ANYONE OF YOU SPEAK OF THAT NAME ANYMORE!"_

Lucy covered her ears with her hands. _Stop. Please. No._ She ground her teeth, biting back the sobs that threatened to escape her lips. This is exactly as that last time, that time when she ran away from home. She has nowhere to go. She has nowhere to stay. She's an orphan. She's all alone.

Or maybe this was the retribution, to compensate for her selfishness. After all, she was the one who always has the idea of running away. It had been her thing. She left her father and now Fairy Tail left her. It was poetic justice.

She envied Cana; at least she has a father. Maybe she was off to Gildarts-san at this very moment. She glanced back at the now-dark sky, thinking of her own father.

"Papa, I don't regret being part of Fairy Tail, but it's just that I can't stop thinking that if I have known that this would happen, will I come back to you? Maybe if I did, I won't lose everything that I hold dear. Maybe then, I'll still be able to get back all those seven years, maybe I could have helped you rebuild the Konzern. After all, it was my fault for its downfall. Maybe, even if it's just the two of us, we could have been a family again."

She noticed the spilling of tears on her cheeks and she tucked her legs over her chest and curled to herself, resting her forehead on her bleeding knees.

"Papa, have I chosen wrong?" her voice broke. "I've lost my new family. We disbanded. I've lost everything: Mama, you, those seven years, and now Fairy Tail."

Lucy sniffed, clutching herself tighter and raising her eyes a little just so it could look at the still empty lot and now dark place. _Somehow, Papa, I question myself if I'm really as lucky as you have claimed me to be; because it seems that I only bring misfortune to anyone I consider a family._

 _Father, have I become a home wrecker?_

And as if the dark skies empathized with her pain, it too broke in a sobbing rain.

Yet, in her anguish, she failed to notice that a Magic Circle has dimly lit the dark and wet streets and a small orb of swirling black energy has appeared and consumed her.

* * *

 **A/N: I guess I am back. I've made this a separate story since these are the only parts of the original story I managed to salvage from my broken laptop. Suffice to say, all ideas and finished parts of a chapter is now gone. That is why I must restart the story with another plot. *sighs*. I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does.**


	2. Chapter 2

Laxus knew that this was a dream. If not, then why else would he be in his seventeen year old glory and wearing outdated clothes and headphones.

 _Ah_ , he thought. This was no mere dream. This an old memory

Year X778

He was bored.

So, here he was, sitting in the guild hall, contemplating how the universe came to be. It has been months since his father was banished by Gramps and even though Ivan was basically a bastard of a father and husband, there's still that fact that he was a family - something precious.

But the fact that Gramps exiled his own flesh and blood, made his blood boil.

 _How dare Gramps punish a family! Shouldn't he just forgive him?_

He was snapped from his musings when he heard someone growling and he looked to what source of that noise. There, those three again. Natsu, Gray and Erza. The youngest S-Class passer was leading the two stomping brats—who were glaring at each other—outside. He sighed. They'll probably do nothing good again. Ever since the arrival of those kids, all he could he hear about his guild was nothing more than complaints and negative comments.

Tch, if he was to be master of this guild, he'll make it sure that everyone will respect Fairy Tail Guild as the most powerful guild in all of Fiore or the world.

With his sensitive hearing, he heard the ramblings of the trio. Ah, that one. No one still knew of his Lightning Dragon Slayer powers. It was a Lacrima embedded in his body and he will keep it a secret from everyone until he could fully master its extent and be the most powerful mage known in the land.

"So, today it's both of you at the same time?" Laxus narrowed his eyes to combat the light from the outside. Erza, with her hands on her hips, turned around to face and challenge the still head-locked idiots.

"Just me is enough!" The pink-haired threw a fit, shouting even in the early morning.

"You took the words right out of my mouth!" The raven-haired kind proclaimed.

"Today for sure…" Natsu ran towards Erza and prepared a punch.

"I will defeat Erza!" Gray followed from the other side, lunging.

That Erza just smiled and in a matter of seconds, both two idiots were down for the count. Tch, weaklings. They can't even defeat one single girl. And they call themselves men? Idiots.

"What's the matter. Done already?" The redhead bragged, crossing her arms in her chest, turning back. It was after a few minutes that the girl decided to face them again and kicked the two weaklings. "Get up! Stand up!" and then she chased them. "Who ate my cake?!" That's it? All that dramatic speeches and resolves for a cake? What immature reasons.

And then he lost all interest in their banters. Those weaklings didn't deserve any of his attention. People were now starting to gather in the hall. Tch, people with their annoying need for noise. He stood up from his seat, leaned on a pillar and took his Sound Pod and listened to some Classic Rock and Roll songs to tune out all the unnecessary loudness. He rested the back of his head in his palms and closed his eyes.

Not long was he in his basking of the chorus of the song that his eyes darted open. What's that? He was sure that he sensed something or someone staring at him. He glanced around to search for the source of that annoyance but he find none. He gazed upwards. "This is boring. Isn't there something fun to do?" He muttered to himself, but his eyes caught something white on the floor. It made him think of someone. Trash. "I guess I'll go make fun of Natsu or something." Then he walked, passing the crumpled paper in the floor.

It was after a while that he passed the jumping Jet, bored Droy, sleepy Levy, Mirajane's siblings and the Alberona kid that his periphery vision and hearing caught something.

"Oh, it's a bunny girl." He looked towards the guild doors and saw his Gramps being a lecher to a…to a…to…a. He gulped. He stopped from his tracks. Everything seemed to have frozen in place as his eyes focused on her. Something in his chest throbbed. His eyes roamed the girl. She was wearing a skimpy red suit with bunny ears on her hair band. He could whistle to that, but, but, but…damn, s-she's beautiful. She has the figure of a goddess, shining blonde hair, immaculate complexion but her big, round eyes looked troubled and panicked. His throat went dry. She looked so weak and something in him wanted to stomp his way towards her and protect her.

However, everything snapped back to reality when she was clamoured by the lechers around her. His Gramps then took her by the wrist and dashed towards the bar, whistles and shouts following them in their path. He growled silently. Gramps will definitely pay for taking her away.

To say he was pissed off was an understatement.

No. he wasn't pissed or ticked.

He was livid. Here he was, an esteemed S-Class mage and he can't even approach her. For God's sake, it has been hours of since he started watching her from the second floor. And if he could fry those fools with a thousand volt lightning bolt, he would. Oh, how he will enjoy each agonized screams those perverted men will make when he was done with them.

And what the! She was even having fun with those bastards. Didn't she know that, with those hungry looks they're making at her, she was practically being de-clothed into nudity? Was she stupid or something like that?! They were purposefully nudging her in her chest and behind area and she just let them be. No, wait. She was laughing, yes. She was even jumping, her chest bouncing—his mind went blank whenever she do that—while those shitheads leered at her but whenever a man's arm 'accidentally' brushed at her parts, she was cringing. Tch, pathetic fools. Laxus' fist clenched and he couldn't help but plot and smirk.

He will definitely pound those men into submission. He now has a reason to approach her to protect her. And in the end, he'll be the hero. It's like hitting two birds with one stone.

But she just sighed contentedly and walked outside. And in that second, all thoughts of torture were wiped away from his mind. He didn't even have the chance to talk to her or even know her name. He has to. So, with all the speed he had in his teenage years, he dashed towards the stairs, his shoes banging in the steps. People stopped from their merry-making and gaped at him. Good, now that they've finally stopped from their dancing, he can freely manoeuvre around their bodies sprawled across the hall. In a matter of seconds, he was outside. The girl was already far away, seemingly thinking, but he willed his legs to carry him further.

'Not this time, Blondie! No way will you get away from me again!' He screamed in his mind as he closed the distance. "Hey, Blondie!" He called out and that was when he finally realized just how much he sounded so desperate.

She stopped in place and turned around. And his mind went blank. Her hair billowed in the air, her eyes a mixture of elation and confusion, her lips opened and her cheeks flushed. He grew numb at the sight that he can't even command his body to move. He was frozen in place as the heat rushed at his face. He turned her head away in embarrassment. God, why of all times was he in such a state?! And in front of such a beautiful girl! Smooth, Laxus. Smooth

...and stupid.

"Laxus?" She spoke. Oh, how such melodious voice she has! Not like those of squeaky and trying-hard-to-be-cute women but a voice that held innocence and conviction all at the same. He quickly looked at her. Her face was a mask of confusion. He gaped, oh how manly it was to gape at the girl he likes.

 _Wait, like?_ Okay, just where on Earthland did those words came from. He just wanted to know her name. _Just her name, yeah._ _Wait, speaking of name, how did she know his name?_

"What's your name?" He quickly asked, realizing a second later that what if she didn't even get that with his speed.

She just flashed a knowing smile. And his mouth went dry. God, this woman! She closed the remaining distance and looked at him straight in the eyes. He felt his heart hammering against his ribs and a bead of sweat trickled down his cheeks. This woman…this woman…was too close. "You'll know," she said in a sincere tone that halted all of his mental faculties. She stood on her tiptoes and planted a chaste kiss on the cheek where the scar was.

"Someone! Please help! The horses are out of control!" A fat man was chasing after a carriage, the horses running in a fast speed. It almost hit them but Laxus was fast and in a half second, they were able to evade the raging mammals.

"There's a customer inside the coach!" The fat man pleaded.

"Eh!" The blonde ran towards the carriage, taking her heels and throwing them away. Laxus was left standing and gaping in awe as the girl, with no apparent Magic, hurried towards the danger but before she was further away, she turned again, shouting and smiling. "We'll meet again, Laxus! Goodbye!" And that was it; she dashed and left him with hope swelling in his chest.

He stared at his arms, feeling something lacking. Maybe, it was her and how much her body fit into his. She was warm and her sweet scent was enough to send his senses into overdrive. He smiled as he put a palm over the area where her lips touched his skin. She was innocent, yes. But she wasn't afraid of the grotesque scar marring his face, she wasn't afraid of perverted old men, she wasn't afraid of the dangers posed by those horses. She wasn't using any Magic but she wasn't weak. If anything else, she was stronger than anyone he knew. He liked that about her. Whatever her name was, he'll definitely find a way to know it.

The scene shifted to a sickly white light and Laxus found himself waking up from the dream. The booth's light bulb Lacrima is turned on and he found himself alone. Blondie left him and it ticked something in him that she did not even had her so-called proper courtesy to bid him goodbye.

He _tsk_ ed and peered at the window. It was dark outside, with the glass itself being _pitter-pattered_ by the heavy rain. He mused back on his earlier dream and he swore vulgarities at his teenage self. What the hell was he doing at that time? He was full of libido for crying out loud! Stupid. Hormonal. Perverted. Lecherous.

He blanched at his past self. It was embarrassing to spout all of that flowery nonsense. It creeps him out. He huffed to shake off the feeling and focused himself to the task at hand. He was traveling north of Fiore to Blue Pegasus to crash at Freed's place for the time being. Freed said that as they are in talks with Blue Pegasus for an application to continue their mage work, they were immediately accepted without any trouble. They did not undergo some strange rite of passage. Such was the reputation of Fairy Tail. Now, it was only three days ago that they again contacted him to inform him that they finally found a suitable place to live.

 _Such was the efficiency of those three_ , he mused to himself. It may seem callous of them to simply move on from Fairy Tail, that is not the case. The Thunder God Tribe has always been elusive to their former guild, and such not as dramatic over their situation. They know when and where to separate their feelings from practicality.

As for him, he was banished once and travelled the world on his own. It did kind of make the point moot. It did sting that right when he was accepted back, Gramps decided to be a pig-headed ass. He must have a good reason to disband the guild, Laxus concluded. Otherwise, he wouldn't have abandoned all of his fledgling orphans.

The train stopped at the terminal as it hooted its announcement. Laxus stood up and slung his baggage over his shoulder and walked outside.

* * *

He could feel the overwhelming pain as the veins from his palms crept upwards his arms and masking his face. The Abyss Break he had cast over that insufferable woman and her meddling friends had drained his body of all Eternano. It sapped at his body and his life force but despite all warnings that his body was sending him, he pushed and put more power to wipe that woman out of the face of the world.

His body thudded in warning. The attack has begun to eat him away, then he realized. _Shit! The moon's doing this!_ He cussed. He could remember now. Darkness Magic is fortified by the Blood Moon – its magnitude and its needed fuel. He screamed as his put the last ounce of his Magic to destroy his opponents. He began to chuckle as he overwhelmed that colourful attack of theirs. His glee came to a halt when he saw that the blue-haired man stood and took a stance from his protective dome.

The man – Jellal – crossed his arms above his head and began casting a spell. All nearby shadows were drawn towards him and formed a small black orb. It began to grow in size and gained white lights inside of it like a night sky.

The woman – Lucy – on the other hand, closed her eyes and chanted as the night sky twinkled and shone with celestial colors

" _Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens…_

 _All the stars, far and wide…_

 _Show thy appearance…_

 _With such shine._

 _Oh, Tetrabiblos…_

 _I am the ruler of stars…_

 _Aspect become complete…_

 _Open thy malevolent gate…_

 _Oh, 88 Stars of the heaven…"_

"SHINE! URANO METRIA!" The orbs glowed brighter.

"ALTAIRIS!" The black sphere was then surrounded by the colourful orbs of lights and crashed upon his body.

"ARGHHHH!" He lost hold of his Magic as he was swallowed by all lights and his body bombarded and crushed in all angles. He screamed in agony as he was left helpless and weak as his own powers had been sucked dry. "GRRRAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" He let out a howl as the combined light completely swallowed and obliterated his whole body.

 _This is not the end_ , he said to himself as he immediately activated one of his fail-safe Magic. Dimensional Transport Magic. It will, at the cost of his body and ability to utilize Magic, eject his essence and soul and has it travel across dimensions to possess his other self from a parallel world. In short, although he may lose his life in this world, he will live again at the cost of the life of the other Sael.

"Lucy Heartfilia, I will have my revenge. Maybe not in this world, it will be on the next."

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for the favs, follows and reviews. Your support pushes me.**

 **melissaanne29 and SexyLaxus: Ye have asked, and ye shall receive. Here it is. Thank you!**

 **sieni: Awww. Thank you very much for reading those stories despite it being years ago. Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The ever-iridescent skies of the Celestial Spirit World suddenly dimmed, casting an ominous air that sent dread spiraling down on Leo's stomach.

"King…" Leo immediately snapped his head towards the gargantuan ruler of the Celestial Spirits. The King was lost in his thoughts, his ruby eyes stared further into the deep space.

"So, you have noticed it too, old friend," he spoke in a rumbling voice that echoed across the stiff air. "A large rift suddenly opened between the Time-Space-Reality Continuum."

"But why is this so different? It feels…" Leo paused, searching for the right word to describe this feeling of irrevocable disgust, this utter defilement, this unexplainable dirtiness, sticking to his skin like sweat and grime.

Leo stilled for a second, as a little taunting voice at the back of his head seemed to chant, _'Hypocrite! Hypocrite!'_ Leo shut that voice immediately.

Now, Leo had his fair share of crossing worlds, what with his occupation as a Celestial Spirit and Fairy Tail's own encounter and skirmish with their Edolas counterparts; but that is precisely the reason why he feels that something wrong is about to happen.

"We've crossed realms before but this one instance feels too evil," he voiced his concern.

"Old friend, Magic is truly a powerful force. It is capable of granting miracles; miracles that can even bend the grand laws of physics," the King started. He had a faraway look. "The Eclipse Gate, for example, allows one to travel across time. Spatial Magic transverses space. The Magic brought forth by feelings and emotions can even change realities. Such is the incredible power of Magic."

The Celestial Spirit King stopped for a moment, his large brows knitting in barely concealed tension. "But Magic, as miraculous as it may be, is dangerous; at the hands of those who would abuse it, of those who would use it to commit the greatest of all taboos since the dawn of time, space and realities."

"King…" addressed The Lion, suddenly disturbed with his ruler's sudden shift in mode. Rarely has he seen that The King of Celestial Spirit World to be this intense.

"Oh, Leader of the Twelve Zodiac, it was never the Magic nor the act of crossing worlds that is fearsome. It was the person and his intent in doing so, for this young one does not merely want to bend rules. He wants to break one; one that is truly sacred; one that we vowed and swore to protect; one that we, as Celestial Spirits, must never, ever break."

"No…" Leo stepped backwards, suddenly realizing what the King is trying to say.

"Yes, old friend. This mage wants to commit the greatest taboo. He wants to break the Sacred Law of Life. He intends to murder someone."

In a blinding flash of golden light, Leo was met with the rarely witnessed human visage of the Celestial Spirit King, in all of his dignified glory. His eyes glowed blood red, which seemed to herald the forthcoming bloodshed.

Leo gulped, fear shaking his legs and trembling his knees. But he could not look away even for just a moment.

With ominous air, the King spoke the next words Leo had been trying to ignore from the back of his head, afraid that it may make it all the more true. "And that crippling fear that ripples violently in your veins; that sensation that should have never been there in the first place, save for only one reason…"

Leo's heart stopped.

"He intends to kill your owner. He intends to kill Lucy Heartfilia."

* * *

Sael arrived at a familiar place. He could not place a word for it, but he knew for certain that he had once crossed this street before…once upon a time. The sky has begun to darken, and small drops of water started pouring.

He looked around, finding that he was translucent. The rain cried heavier, as he noticed that the streets had been abandoned. Well, no sane man would be caught dead in this god-awful rain. He tried to cover himself, before he noticed that the water just passed through him.

He heard wails drowned by the violent pitter-patter sound of the water and he moved closer. That is when he noticed the telltale flaxen-colored hair of the woman sitting and cradling her knees in the rain.

 _Fortune smiles upon me today_ , he grinned. Perhaps, his plan for possessing his other self in this alternate reality should be abandoned to accommodate a more pressing matter. It would be a sordid waste if he so much as let go of this one lucky chance to take revenge against the woman who destroyed his dreams.

Perhaps, instead of his other self, he should possess her, and make her commit such atrocities that she would be broken in ways she could have never imagined. This is not revenge. This is justice. This is retribution, and he will give her the greatest gift. He would give her power, the power to destroy… destroy everything. She would be the greatest Dark Mage this world has ever seen. And then, he would grant her the power to kill her so-called _nakama_ and then, he would let her live long enough for her to see what she had done…and then…

Sael laughed. Such a brilliant plan

And then…he will reveal that it was all him and fill her heart with so much hatred and fear before finally ending her life.

Sael laughed once more. Finally, when she's gone from this world, her Keys will be his to take, and once again, he will rebuild his long lost dream. He sighed, slowly turning himself into a dark orb and prepared to cast a Take Over Spell.

"Good bye, Lucy Heartfilia."

* * *

"What the hell is happening?" Aquarius practically marched towards him. "Why is it that everyone is so shaken and what's wrong with the sky? Why is it so dark?" she demanded.

"I'll explain later," Leo walked past her back and forth. His brows knit together as he circled, his eyes traced to the ground. He stopped abruptly in front of Lucy's contracted Spirits before announcing, "Everyone! Right now, someone is targeting Lucy!"

Murmurs of protests ensued. Virgo maneuvered among the bodies before reaching him. "What should we do?"

"I'm going to summon myself at her side and protect her," he decided. That sentence seemed to have silenced the clamoring audience. Leo closed his eyes and began to concentrate. He tried to feel the traces of his Key. Nothing happened. He shifted uncomfortably. He searched again, only to be met by the dark expanse. _Why won't it work?!_

"It won't connect! Shit!" he cursed, as the sky continued to be swallowed by the darkness.

"Leo!" Aquarius shouted, her eyes wide as she pointed to the sky.

"Oh, no…" Aries looked around worriedly as every star and constellation was blanketed by total darkness. Lucy's pocket space in the Celestial Spirit World shifted to a world of black and white.

"Lucy! Piri! Piri!" cried the Twins. Taurus moved to them closer and held them in his arms.

"What should we do?" Taurus asked, starting to panic.

"It's not too late. Let's form a circle, everyone," Leo barked.

"Don't tell me we're going to do _that?_ " Taurus protested.

"The Scutum Aureum is a twelve versed spell meant to be used by all the Zodiac when a Celestial Spirit Mage manage to collect all twelve, like that Sealing Spell you did on the Eclipse Gate. It is impossible for the ten of you to do this, not to mention Aquarius's contract has been broken. That makes a total of nine Zodiac," Old Man Crux stated.

Leo noticed that Aquarius flinched.

"What do we do?" panicked Horologium.

"No, we'll do this. Lucy's Silver Keys will compensate. They have as much stake in this as we are. All Golden Keys, form an outside circle. All Silver Keys, form a circle inside. Hold out your hands and focus! We will cast the spell twice!"

"But the time-ebi!" Cancer said.

"Screw the time… this mage, whoever he is, can seal Magic. We only have one shot. Let's make this count," Leo ordered as he held Aries' hands in his left and extended his right to a hesitating Aquarius. The mermaid nodded and took it.

"All Gold Keys, chant the Spell together in New Script. Old Man Crux, lead the Silver Keys using the Olden Script. Now!" Leo signaled. "The Twelve Golden Palaces of the Heavens."

" _Aurea duodecim palatia Coeli,_ "Old Man Crux translated.

"The Eighty-eight Great Stars of the Skies," the Zodiac echoed together.

" _Octoginta octo stellæ sint cæli Magna,_ "stated the other Silver Keys.

"In the name of the Sacred Law of Life."

" _In nomine sacrae legis vitae_ "

 _"_ In the name of the Divine Order of Protection, Safety and Deliverance."

" _Divinus ordo in nomine cinium salute sua liberata_ "

"We summon thee, Scutum, the Great Guardian." Small golden particles of light started to gather towards their center.

" _Dicimus pientissimam contentionem tecum, Scutum, a tutela._ "

"We hereby beseech you to appear on Earthland." The particles began to take shape in the form of a ring.

" _Obsecro reputemur venire Earthland._ "

"For the sake of the bearer of our bonds."

" _Latorem propter vincula._ "

"For the sake of the master of our contracts." The golden ring thickened.

" _Propter dominum contractus_ "

"Make thyself known to her."

" _Et ostende te nobis in eam._ " The light pulsated like a heartbeat.

"Save her." _Thud._

" _Servo eius." Thud. Thud._

"Protect her." _THUD. THUD. THUD._

" _Praesidio ei._ " _THUD! THUD! THUD!_

"And purify all evils which threatens her."

" _Et de omni praeda sive mala, quae ei minatur._ "

 _Thud._

"SCUTUM AUREUM!" They shouted, as the ring of concentrated vibrating golden light burst from the ground and pierced the dark skies.

* * *

"Guh…" Lucy clutched her body tightly as she was swallowed by an unexplainable feeling of weakness. She could feel her limbs growing numb, yet she felt an all-consuming pain emanating from the pits of her stomach.

She keeled forward. Her breaths grew labored and her vision blurred. She let out a cry when she felt that the numbing reached down her legs. The water in the streets continued to rise. She tried to get up but the pain served to push her further into the ground. She yelped when her shoulder hit the concrete. She shifted and winced to face the sky. She can only watch with half-lidded eyes the dark clouds rigorously hitting her with heavy drops. She brought her hands to her stomach.

 _Everyone…_

She closed her eyes, the scene blurring and fading into black.

* * *

 **A/N: I am back, and please review, like, favorite and support me once again. LaLu forever! Okay, some of you may be confused regarding how this story came to be...so, here's the premise. This world is set as an alternate/parallel universe to the universe of the A Solemn Vow series (hence this is titled as The Vow Across Time and Space). So, anyways, it seems like a sequel and/or a soft reboot.**

 **To those who would like to know what I am rambling about...The first installment(?) is a Solemn Vow to Take, then A Solemn Vow to Make, followed by the extra A Solemn Vow to Mate...and the prequel It All Started with a Dance.**

 **I should caution you, though...Those stories were written during my first stint as a fanfic writer, and it has a sheer number of corrections. Read them at your own risk.**

 **Thank You!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was one bright and sunny day. They were trudging along the boondocks and maneuvering uneven terrain. The trees gently rustled with the sway of the wind. Lucy briefly closed her eyes and felt the warm sun on her face. She inhaled the fresh breeze and sighed contentedly.

"Ah, this is life," she breathed, glancing before her. Wendy and Charle were chatting animatedly a few inches in front of her. They were laughing about something that Romeo did. Gray was walking a bit faster on their left, his hands inside his pockets – thank heavens, he has pockets because that meant that he's not walking in his birthday suit. Erza was a good foot away from him, at the center of their team; arms crossed across her chest. In front of the S-Class Mage, Natsu and Happy were laughing their lungs out.

 _'Another adventure with them,'_ Lucy smiled broadly.

Lucy felt the strap of her cute pink backpack loosened. She paused and looked down to adjust it. A second later, she found that Wendy and Charle was a yard away from her. She sprinted forward.

"Wait, you guys!" she called out when the distance did not close even an inch. The gap widened. ' _What is happening?'_ she thought in panic. She tripped on a root and her body skidded on the cold hard dirty ground. "Hey, wait!" she cried out.

The gap enlarged until the team started to fade out into a clearing. Lucy held out her hands and screamed, "Wait! Natsu! Happy! Erza! Gray! Wendy! Charle! Wait for me! NATSUUU!"

Natsu looked back. Lucy felt relief washing over her. "We don't need weaklings. Bye, Lucy!" then he flashed his toothy grin, turned back and went into the light.

"NOOO!"

"-cy! Lucy!" shouted someone. "Lucy!" Her eyes fluttered open to see a silhouette of a spiky-haired man looming over her. On her peripheral view, she also saw pink hair sprawled on her chest.

"N-Nats-su…" she smiled weakly, reaching out her hands to touch the man's face.

"Lucy," said Loke when her eyes adjusted to full visibility. "Thank the stars, you're alright," he sighed, caressing her head.

"Her heart seems to have stabilized," Virgo sat up.

 _'Oh,'_ Lucy's heart sank. She thought that…then her eyes began to well up again. Dream or reality, she's still alone. Just when she think that everything is just a nightmare, she's met with the just her Spirits.

As soon as she finished that thought, Lucy felt shame. Here she was, saved by her Spirits, and she thought nothing of them. "I'm sorry," she choked between sobs. "I'm so s-sorry…"

"Shhh…" Loke hushed her as he continued brushing her hair.

"It's alright, Princess," Virgo, in a rare showcase of tender emotion, smiled warmly. If Lucy was not hurting so much, she could see the very real reason as to why the Spirit is called as The Maiden. "Everything's going to be fine," she rhythmically and gently patted her hips, as if she was coaxing a baby into a lullaby.

"We're here now," Loke promised.

"Un!" Lucy nodded over and over again, burying her face into Loke's designer jacket.

* * *

Laxus was in the middle of his walk when he heard the telltale rumbling sound coming from the now-dark sky. He paused briefly, contemplating if this was a good idea – the idea being, walking almost half a mile from the train station towards Raijin Tribe's new crib, to crash with the remainder of…

 _Remainder of what, exactly?_

 _Indefinitely,_ answered a small irritating voice at the back of his mind. For what seemed like the twentieth time that day, he sighed. Well, no sense whining. He's already almost there. He's already on the road, alone.

A droplet landed on his arm.

Then another.

Shit.

And he was immediately pitter-pattered by the sudden downpour. "Damn," he cursed under his breath. He's bruised. He's battered. He just got out of sickness. And he'll probably end up back there. "Shitty rain."

What the hell made him this that this was a good idea in the first place? Training is a good idea. Walking alone in the rain, covered in bandages is not training. He hurried his pace.

 _Well, no sense whining now_ , he repeated. Finding roof to take shelter kind of makes the whole point of being wet until kingdom come, moot. Damn, he'd just bolt it – and not the turn-into-lightning-to-teleport kind of bolt, because as of his current predicament, using Magic would probably send him back faster into sickness and no health. He'll just run like being chased by a thousand ugly-ass Natsu-looking spider-monkeys, begging for a fight. Not that he would run away from a weak-ass overgrown lizard.

 _But you get the idea…_

Laxus skidded to a halt when he noticed a familiar-looking building. The apartment was two-story house with white sidings and a porch elevated from the ground by three steps of stairs. From the porch to where he stood, he guessed that there's at least a good ten feet distance, with a single path made of cobblestones. On the two sides of the concrete, there's a small garden composed of various shrubs and bushes. Laxus decided to stop wasting his time describing the okay flat, and started jogging towards the porch. Two dim yellow-orange Lacrima illuminated the mahogany door from both sides.

He kicked of his shoes and began to knock. _Knock. Knock. Knock._ "Freed," he called. "Evergreen! Bickslow!" he called louder. The door clicked open and he was met with the sight of Freed wearing a lounging robe.

"Welcome home!" Freed greeted with a little smile. His eyes observed Laxus' person and the Rune Mage immediately sighed exasperatedly. He began rubbing small circles on his temples. "Come on in." He led them to a short hallway towards the living room and pointed to another hall on their left. "Bath's over there."

"Thanks," Laxus said as he made his way, nimbly and carefully to avoid spilling any more water one the floor – or Freed's going to explode. With his acute hearing senses, he heard the annoying squeaking sound of friction made by wet skin to wood. A second later, he reached the bathroom, immediately closed and locked it, and made a triumphant little grin.

Laxus took of his wet clothes, balled it and three-pointed it into the hamper. He also took of some of his bandages and submerged himself into the bathtub. "Finally," he breathed out as his body gradually adjusted to the comforting warm water.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and an image of Lucy suddenly popped in his mind. _What the hell?!_ Again, he was assaulted with the grand question: _just what is her surname?_ Just when he thought, he'd be getting a mind's rest…

He sighed and practically went on. He knew that the girl-who-one-upped-him would not leave his mind until he figured the answer.

 _I know she has one_

 _Just what is it?_

 _It was announced last Grand Magic Games,_ that he can be certain of.

 _Maria,_ he guessed.

 _Azmaria? There's a lot of **a** sound there. Astoria? _He's sure that there's also a **t** and **h.** _Hathoria?_

Her last name sounds more like of a fricative, so there's probably a **v** or **f.** _Hasvita? Hasviria? Firia?_

 _Firia!_

 _"F-Filia…"_ he remembered. Oh, he forgot that. Lucy Filia. Again, there's another annoying voice at the back of his mind, telling him that something is amiss. Laxus grunted and stood up. "Fuck this," he muttered as he dried his body with the towel hanging beside him. He then wrapped it at his waist and got the hell out.

"Welcome back, Laxus," greeted Evergreen from the living room after sipping from her cup. Laxus started towards them.

"Yo, Laxus!" Bickslow was also there. Both he and Evergreen were wearing lounging robes. They congregated and stood around Freed, who was kneeling on the carpeted area as he set up a Communication Lacrima on a center apothecary table.

"Your room is upstairs," informed Evergreen, pointing to the adjacent hall. "Stairs are over there and your things are already inside your room."

Laxus nodded his thanks and began his ascent.

"Okay, what's the Lacrima for?" asked Bickslow when they heard the door closing on the second floor.

"And why are we all here?" complained Evergreen, finishing the remains of her chamomile tea.

Freed, eyes still affixed on the Lacrima, revealed, "A few days after the disbandment of the guild, Laxus informed me that he's having gaps in his memories. Before coming here, he and I went to see Porlyusica. She said that that was the first time she encountered a case. Rare, meaning, there were no symptoms of it being a physiological amnesia or even a Forgetting Spell. That meant Laxus is as healthy as ever. But there's probably something wrong, given the situation, so she said to wait for a few weeks for her to conduct a research. And tonight's the night that results would arrive."

"Humans," lit the Lacrima in front of them. An annoyed face greeted them. "Call Laxus."

"I'm here," his voice came out of the hall. He was dressed in plain gray shirt and black sweatpants. He took the chair at the side and sat down. "How is it?

"Laxus, be honest with me," the old woman, started, veins already forming on her wrinkled face. "Just how many times have you…cajoled with time travelers?"

"What?!" Laxus exclaimed.

* * *

It was an hour later that Loke returned to the Celestial Spirit World, and he was immediately faced with – and hounded by – a group of concerned Spirits.

"Lucy's fine," he spoke before any of them could start a tirade of unending questions. "We took her to a nearby clinic. Virgo's staying with her to keep guard. I only came back so as not to strain Lucy's Magic any further," he smiled to calm them down.

"This is all your fault, you know," Capricorn loomed.

* * *

 **A/N: And before October ends, here's another chapter. Thank you to those who have read the last chapter, supported, favorited, liked and followed. Please continue your support as I try to finish this story. Thanks!**

 **Tiernank: Thank you! I really hope I can finish this, what with my schedule being cramped as it is. :)**

 **Aldwyntor: Thank you! Hmmmm. I wonder about the spell working or not. :)**

 **Ingaomars: Thank you. I'm so happy to be back and happier to have your review.** **Cheers!** **:)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"This is all your fault, you know," Capricorn loomed.

"How is it my fault?" asked Leo, eyes narrowing and temper rising. Here he is, doing everything he can to safeguard their Master, and pacify the tense atmosphere for his brethren; and this is the thanks he will get?

"I am merely stating facts. You are the leader of the Zodiacs, and yet you act as though Lady Lucy is your equal. You, above all else, should know your place," Capricorn fixed his glasses before facing him. "Have you forgotten your...No…" The Goat looked at everyone around them. "Have ALL of you forgotten your sworn oath to always, always protect her?!" He explained.

"You…" Leo took a menacing step forward. Who does this goat think he is, spouting bullshit when it was he that was possessed by a homicidal mage for almost twenty years and almost killed Lucy!

"As the leader, the responsibility of disciplining your subordinates rests on your shoulders. Taurus harbors perverted thoughts towards Lady Lucy, distracting him from doing his job properly. Everytime…everytime that he's been summoned to help, he asks for perverse compensations!" Capricorn's voice raised higher.

"Mooo…" The Goat heard Taurus.

"Virgo gets distracted easily too. Her masochism takes control when she should focus on her opponents. Sagittarius does not even know how to defend himself. One small attack to a barely vulnerable part of his body, and out he goes. Cancer lacks awareness of his surroundings. He's summoned to fight, and he asks if Lady Lucy needs a haircut. A haircut! In the middle of a fight! Scorpio…Scorpio puts his own personal life above his master's!"

"Tch," Leo cursed, fist tightening. He gritted his teeth. "And what about you, huh?!" he snapped. "You were the one who got Taken Over, and almost killed her!"

"I was controlled!" Capricorn spat.

Leo laughed darkly. "And that's your excuse, you hypocritical goat?!"

Capricorn also cursed under his breath. "You want real talk? Fine! If it wasn't for your lack of mental fortitude and responsibility, Lady Lucy would not lose Aquarius. And she would not have to be in that state of misery. Just look at her!"

"And how is that my fault? You're just finding a way to project your own insecurities and weakness on me!" Leo argued. "Fairy Tail left her! It was her own team that caused this. It wasn't mine!"

"Is it, now? Lady Lucy can handle the loneliness of being left behind by those fools. What put her in that state of depression was you, who failed in protecting her! And it was your failure that she had to break Lady Layla's one and only memento!"

Leo stilled, unable to form a coherent argument. Capricorn was right. Aquarius was Lucy's very first Spirit, and the only thing to remember her late mother by. "We did our best," he insisted.

"And look where that got us. Our master had to step up and save you and Virgo. Oh, my God!" Capricorn humorlessly laughed at the incredulity of such a thing. "The master saving a servant. How preposterous!" The Goat ceased his laugh and went back to his previous tone. "We are the ones supposed to protect her, not the other way around. Or is this going to be one of your thing, you killing your master just like what you did last time."

Leo snapped and lunged with a Regulus-empowered punch.

"ENOUGH! Both of you!" shouted Old Man Crux. His eyes were uncharacteristically wide open. It came as a shock to them, since the ancient Spirit rarely lets out emotions, much less anger. That alone made them stop in their places, leaving them gaping like fishes. "Is that anyway that a Celestial Spirit should act?!"

Leo's fist uncurled and fell down his sides. He recomposed himself, as did Capricorn. Both Spirits straightened out their respective coats and readjusted their glasses.

"I'm sorry I lost my cool," Leo held out his right hand for a handshake. Capricorn did have a point. Though his pride had been hurt, he was actually relieved that The Goat for saying those words heavily weighing in his mind, since Aquarius' key broke. Truth be told, he was blaming himself for what happened. He guessed he needed that to clear his conscience, since no one – not even Aquarius – blamed him. "Thanks," he smiled.

"My apologies too. What I said was beyond unprofessional," smiled Capricorn as he took and shook the outstretched hand of their leader.

"Everyone!" Old Man Crux spoke louder. "Let this be a learning experience for all of us. True, it is the prerogative of Lady Lucy to treat us as her friends, as her comrades, as an equal; but we should never forget that we are mere objects. We are her weapons. We are lucky enough for our keys to be held my a mage who treats us with even an ounce of humanity, but to be wielded as a partner and not as a shield should be more than enough to lay down our lives for their sake! Above everything else, how many Spirits out there can claim that they are contracted to someone from the great and legendary Heartfilia bloodline?" he asked rhetorically. "None! So get your acts together and don't ever fail the last of the Heartfilias!"

That proclamation reverberated throughout the gathered crowd, sending them into cheering frenzy. It was like being reinvigorated with new motivation. Capricorn stepped forward to face the crowd. "We live for Lady Lucy's sake, and we die for her sake. If not, we might as well fade into nothingness!"

Those words served only to encourage louder cries, and Leo felt the euphoric sensation of inspiration. "Prepare yourselves, everyone! I could feel it now. For the days to come, Lucy will once again call upon us to lend her our strength."

Before the audience could erupt, they heard a thundering sound, followed by heavy, slow and echoing…

 _CLAP._

 _CLAP._

 _CLAP._

All of them slowly craned their necks towards the source of the ominous sound, and found the Celestial Spirit King standing in his glorious human form behind them. Leo felt his throat running dry. He'd seen the King's human form before – hell, he just saw it hours ago – but it never fails to leave him breathless. He gulped and struggled to glance at his brethren. They stood still, gawking in astonishment. No doubt, they felt the same way as he.

"Now," his voice rumbled. "That's the spirit, old friends," the Celestial Spirit King paused from clapping and smirked, his crimson-colored eyes glinting in barely concealed amusement. He snapped his fingers and grimoire – a Magic book – appeared floating beside him. "Deliver this to her, the moment she summons you."

The grimoire zeroed towards Capricorn.

"That means, she's ready."

"R-Ready for w-what," Taurus stammered, unable to avert his eyes from the King.

The King smiled wider. "You'll see."

* * *

"What?!" Laxus exclaimed. What the hell kind of non-sense is this old bat into? "The fuck are you talking about?"

Porlyusica cleared her throat, unamused with the Dragon Slayer's apparent unawareness regarding his long list of conquest. "As I was saying, this is probably bad karma, for all those women you…"

"I'll have you know that I'm not…" Laxus cut her off, before she could speak any further. This made him aware that he was not the only one in the room. "I'm not man-whoring myself like those so-called men in Blue Pegasus."

"Well, damn. There goes the illusion of you as one of the most desirable and eligible bachelor," Evergreen snickered. Apparently, she found it amusing that he is seen as a fuck twat by almost all of Fiore.

The Lightning Dragon Slayer truly did not know where that rumor came from. He had suspected that it was that drunkard Cana or that she-demon Mira to be the mastermind. However, as of this moment, he had a sneaking suspicion that the culprit might be closer to home than what he originally expected.

"Oh, how would the fangirls live now?" she exhaled dramatically. Laxus rolled his eyes.

"Well, I honestly thought that Laxus is just going senile," Bickslow laughed.

"Senile! Senile!" repeated the Seith Mage's so-called babies.

Laxus' left eye twitched and his right-hand fingers itched to fry Bickslow and his babies with a thousand volt of lightning.

"Enough with the smart comments," Freed interrupted the teasing duo, and sighed before turning back towards the Lacrima. "You were saying?"

"First, let me retract my previous assessment, in which I said that Laxus' condition is not biological or magical in nature. The truth is, it is both biological and magical. And though I say it's a condition, it's not an illness per se. It's called Chromnemosia. It's a form of psychological defense mechanism imposed by the mind in order to sort out the irregularities in the memories brought forth by time travel-related magic spells. As you may know, time must always move forward. Yes, it can be stopped, but it is inevitable that the only path it will take is a straight line – past to present to future. Memories should stay as an aspect of the past, continuously created in the present and to be remembered in the future."

"I don't get it. I'm in the present. I don't even know how to time travel. On missions, rarely do we encounter a mage with Time Magic. The ones we know, we barely even see, much less encounter," Laxus clarified. "The only one that I can think of is that incident after the Grand Magic Games. The dragons we fought then were the time travelers."

"But you remembered?" Porlyusica asked. Laxus nodded affirmatively. "Your fool of a grandfather informed me that the Eclipse Gate was destroyed, causing a ripple in time that sent the dragons back into their own timeline. Anyways, it's been ruled out as Chromnemosia."

"But we remembered," Evergreen insisted.

"Since when did I mention that Chromnemosia is about forgetting? I think I haven't," Porlyusica quipped. "I said that it sorts out the irregularities in the memories brought forth by time travel-related magic spells. You remembered because that's how it should be sorted."

Laxus could feel that another senile joke would come out of Bickslow's loud mouth, so he spoke, "What can I do?"

"Nothing," the medic replied nonchalantly.

"What do you mean nothing?" Laxus exclaimed, his temper rising. So, he just wasted his time for nothing?!

Porlyusica sighed and relented. "You humans and your incessant need to do things the hard way. As I said, you can do nothing since it's the body's natural response to help itself prevent a nervous breakdown due to confusion."

Laxus grunted, his patience thinning.

Porlyusica sighed and continued. "The other option is to go directly to the source. That means, find this time traveler...travelers...whatever. Anyways, based from what you told me, only certain parts of your memory is missing. So, it's safe to assume that there's only one time traveler, and that you must have encountered him or her throughout the years. That would explain why you're missing only certain parts and not big chunks because you're only losing memories related to this time traveler."

"How can we find this time traveler?" Freed stepped forward.

"Ask Laxus questions he should know the answers to. If a blank came up, that's a clue. Piece those information together to find similar people involved.."

"That's it? Then what?" Bickslow asked.

"You said that Laxus only has to meet this person. That seems like an easy thing to do," Evergreen followed.

Porlyusica sighed. Suddenly she's exasperated and tired. She faced Laxus again. "I told you so, but you still insist on taking the hard way. Meeting the time traveler is a stimulus, and it would activate certain schemas in your brain. These schemas are the memories related to this person. In short, meeting the cause of this annoyance would basically reorganize your memories in a linear manner," she paused. "Word of advice, kid. Don't try. It's a waste of time."

And then the crystal blinked off.

* * *

Lucy stared at the ceiling of the clinic where Leo and Virgo accompanied her to, when she remembered June Third of Year X784.

It has been roughly eleven months since she ran away from home. And Lucky Lucy of the Heartfilias was running low of jewels. Guess she wasn't so lucky anymore. She's been travelling across Fiore in hopes of joining that guild. Fairy Tail.

Ah, she could still remember the day when she was rescued by some stranger when the horses of her carriage have gone bananas. She saw the pink mark of her rescuer's hands. And she decided, then and there, when she overlooked their building on that rocky cliff, in the arms of the worried-sick Mrs. Spetto, that she will join and have her membership stamp the exact same way as the person who took the risk to save her almost sorry ass.

Anyways, coming back to the present, she had lost all hope that her father would actually decide to grow a heart and ask for her to return to the comforts of luxury. And then what? Grovel on the ground and kiss her feet that she may never leave and as a bonus, will allow her to choose when and who the damn she's going to marry?

 _'Dream on, Lucy, dream on. Some of us were not just that, I don't know—lucky?'_

 _'I had to run away,'_ she mused as she scanned her surroundings. She's been walking like forever and she still could not find that store that sells the oh-so-delectable, peerless Caramel Mousse. And just when hope finally ran out, she spotted it. Fruits Park. It was, well, for a lack of better word, homey. With its bright colors and cute appeal, it was a stark contrast to the building sitting beside it, the Pool Hall. The interior was quite impressive with its decoration being able to complement each other despite the pastel-colored curtains, the chess board, black and white tiles and lush seats. Lucy sat and not a second later…

"Who the hell could possibly stomach this sugar-riddled bullshit?" Lucy took a glance and for the nth time she left her residence, she was again faced with another trouble. A cowgirl with short green hair rudely protested. Her appearance was roguish.

"T-This is a dessert shop…" The waitress stuttered.

"Shut it! I despise sweet food!" The cowgirl shouted. Lucy gulped. There's trouble brewing again. "Oi, are you disrespecting the customer, bitch?"

"No, not at all…" The waitress squirmed in place as another waitress—this one with red hair tied in twin tails—approached the commotion.

"So you're Moulin Rouge." The redhead spoke, a hint of threat in her voice. Lucy gulped. This was not good, if the chilling in her spine was a good indication. And something was vaguely familiar about that red-haired waitress. She just couldn't pinpoint what was but Lucy was sure as hell that she knew her from somewhere.

"Eh, the fuck you want?" The ever so rude green-haired woman didn't even stand. She was lounging like she owned the place and brushed off the seemingly angry woman in maid uniform.

"Looks like you're a Fairy Tail wizard." The redhead growled under her breathe.

"Yeah. Who the hell are you? Ahaha. Don't tell me you tryna pick a fight with Fairy Tail?" The cowgirl did not even flinch nor bat an eyelash.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." As soon as the redhead spoke those words, light formed in her hands and there appeared…wait, was that a large sword. "IT"S GONNA SAY THAT YOU PICKED A FIGHT WITH FAIRY TAIL…ON YOUR GRAVESTONE."

And that was when all hell broke loose. A chill ran down Lucy's spine at the thought that the green-haired woman was impaled by the sword in her legs. She stood up and ran towards the door. This might turn ugly and she doesn't want to get caught in it.

 _'I need to run away…'_ she panicked. Why didn't she just sucked up her stupid upbringing and marry some goddamn perverted businessman whose only intention was to make her some breeding animal? Oh, yeah, that was because she didn't want to be a breeding animal and because she's independent like her late mother.

She was running a good distance away from the two building when it suddenly collapsed. She craned her neck to see the ruined building. Dust where everywhere and people were running for their dear lives. Then she bumped into someone, and graciously so landed on her butt with a squeak. How unbecoming of such a dignified young woman. "Hey!" Without further ado, without even looking to whoever bumped into her, she fired her mouth.

"Oh, it's just you." It was a nonchalant, manly man voice, the kind of voice that only belongs to an alpha male. She looked up to see a freaking towering shadow—yeah, maybe if she's not sitting her sorry butt on the ground, she could see who on Earthland managed to push her with an accidental nudge—and that was where she finally decided to recomposed her lovely lady self. She shut her gaping mouth.

"Me?" She stood up and observed the man before her. True enough, he was an alpha male but not the alpha wolf kind of way. He was an alpha…bear? He towered over her even though she just stood. She guessed that her height was only up to his chest, so therefore, being the smart woman she was, no antagonizing should be used when dealing with this guy.

She squinted her eyes to combat the sunlight's effects and there, she finally saw his overall features. He had a lightning bolt scar in his right eye but it actually made him more, for a lack of better term, handsome. He has this straight nose, strong jaw line, blue eyes and complimenting it was his built body.

"Oh, I thought it was Titania. Sorry, weakling." Then he walked past her in a way that described him the arrogant bastard he was, his furry, black jacket billowing in the wind.

Weakling…

Lucy fumed. And she stomped her way towards the opposite direction. Karma will always find a way to repay his oh-so oozing kindness.

And then, she was back in the present. She had sent Virgo a while ago, leaving her alone in the clinic.

But…

She realized, with utmost certainty, she lived without them. She had been in worse times and places in her life. One year…No, sixteen years, she survived on her own, with limited Magic, with less contracted Spirits, with minimal combat training, with no one to rescue her.

With no nakama.

She did it before.

She can do it again. Team Natsu does not need her.

And she does not need them.

"Capricorn," she whispered as a soft golden light briefly illuminated the room.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **So, I had this idea waayyy before, that Lucy's Spirits really do need I wake up call. I'm glad that I was able to include that scene here.**

 **Please Review!**

 **Your ideas, messages and comments inspire me to continue writing.**

 **Special thanks to those who followed, liked, favorited and reviewed: cowseatgrass, StarRocker4600, .1, Summer Nickels, Jessica Kinney, Ingaomars, and Aldwyntor. You're all awesome!**


End file.
